CHAMPION – May 28, 2007

 

        Champions have been a busy bunch, dodging rain drops and lightning bolts to get together over the Holiday.  Like communities all over the country they gathered at local cemeteries and churches to honor all the war dead from all the Nation’s wars.  That takes a lot of honoring.  Champions do it will Love and Gratitude for all those who have served and continue to serve.  Benjamin J. Ashley, 22, of Independence, MO, died May 24th, 2007 in Balad, Iraq of wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle.  He was a Specialist of the 1st Battalion, 5th Artillery Regiment, 1st Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Riley, Kansas.  It is hard to decide whether or not to send condolences to a family who may not be feeling like hearing from strangers at such a time.  Still, it might do some good.  Everybody has to decide those things for himself.  In the first twenty eight days of May 109 US Service Men and Women have left behind families in sorrow.

        Over in Denlow the School Reunion was a delightful affair.  When questioned, an official spokesperson said that sixty-five was a conservative estimation of the number of attendees.  The kick off ceremony for the Civil War Soldiers Memorial had a smaller audience, he reported.  The Memorial will be dedicated next year and will be a stone located near the Flag pole in the center of the cemetery.  It will have a metal plaque that will contain the name of the Civil War Soldiers known to be buried there and some history of the battles and skirmishes that occurred in the Denlow area.  More research is being done to verify the names of three or four more individuals to be added to the list of the twenty eight known Veterans.  The new pavilion certainly saw some good use over the holiday.  It is a lovely spot for music and fellowship.  There was a lot of fellowshipping going on, as well as yarn spinning, and recollecting.  One fellow, who spoke with the condition of anonymity, related a story about Ed Henson who had said something like, “Dean, if you want to train a dog, you’ve got to be smarter than the dog!”  There was a lot of laughter in every corner.  Robert Hamilton got up and gave a speech that started out with words to the effect:  “Well, Hello, all you thieves and thugs, scoundrels, bootleggers and bushwhackers of Denlow!”  He finally realized that he was in not in his regular environs and altered his speech to suit the crown in front of which he stood.  He was fairly well received, nonetheless, and as late as Monday was heard to have said, “….I will not seek the nomination, and if elected I will not serve.”  Madelyne Ward was the “Queen of the May” being sported about in her red convertible by her Grandfather.  Her Great Grandmother was there with some sweet photographs of the child and some stories to tell about her own little boy.  She says that Richard can build anything and that was clearly evidenced by the enormous table in the pavilion.  It will get a lot of use from generations to come.  It was a disappointment to many that Cleetus Upshaw was unable to attend on Saturday.  He did make a showing on Sunday at the Proctor Family Reunion.  Esther Wrinkles has promised him an apple pie if someone will deliver it.  Someone certainly will be happy to do that and to have a good excuse to sit with him to soak up some real local color.  People like Vicky Czapla and her Mother Inez Proctor Davis travel from great distances to enjoy these annual gatherings, to touch home again, renewing old acquaintances, making new ones, and remembering other times.  These are some very good times too.

        Times are very good in Champion indeed, with so many grandchildren scampering about.  Tennessee school boys and local cousins have been hooping it up down on the farm.  One of Mrs. Eva Powell’s grandsons, Derek, is getting ready to do some traveling that will take him all the way to Timbuktu!  It is in the West African country of Mali and has long been the metaphor for remote, distant, exotic places.  The place name is said to come from a Tuareg woman named Buktu who dug a well in the area where the city stands today; hence “Timbuktu”, which means “Buktu’s well.  Perhaps he will send a postcard from that exciting place back down to the old home folks in Champion.  Champions wish him a safe journey as they do to all their precious travelers.  Just a jaunt over to Mountain Grove represents quite a trip for some folks.  It is a pleasant thing to have a chance meeting at a gate with a good neighbor.  The theme Good Fences Make Good Neighbors is being demonstrated at the “Between Fences” traveling exhibit in the over in the Mansfield Community Center and is well worth the viewing.  It is the result of a collaborative effort between the Smithsonian Institution and the State Humanities Council and local Historical Societies, Museum on Main Street.  There are some excellent photographs of the area in days gone by and some beautiful old friendship quilts and other historic items.  It will be there through June 23rd.  Anyone looking for Champion will just have to stop and ask somebody.  The sign is gone.  The wild speculation that someone from over in Spotted Hog has taken it is just flat rediculuous since their sign would need to say “Spotted Hog” and not “Champion.”  No, the mystery is greater than local rivalry and there is no interest in sparking a contriversy with heresay and inuendo.  When the proprietress of Champion’s most prominent business reported the theft to the Department of Transportation, she indicated that the sign had been taken, but the thieves had left the hole.  So Champions will take the High Road and say, …”And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat (sign), let him have thy cloke (hole) also.”  Champions will go ‘the next mile’ to get their sign back for sure.  It’s been gone for more than six weeks now.  Anybody looking to steal the hole is welcome to try.

        It’s funny how something can be gone for a long time before its absence is noted.  Such is the case with the mustashe of the illustrious post master at Norwood.  Now, practically every Champion who gets mail gets it from Rt. 2, Norwood.  Kirk Dooms said that he had done away with that mustashe back in the fall and nobody had mentioned it until now.  Probably someone had noticed, but was just too polite to mention such a personal thing.  Well, mustashed or not, Mr. Dooms is doing a fine job of postmastering and Champions are glad to get some of their mail.  (They get it all, but are only ‘glad’ about some of it.)  Kirk was glad to hear that a shindig is in the works for his Aunt Esther’s birthday coming up next month.  He’s thinking about making homemade ice cream.  While still on the subject of noteable absences, a total of six trees were removed from the school grounds at Skyline.  It was reported that they were diseased.  It is sad to see them go.  Newcomers to the school will not miss them.  Next winter the firewood will warm people all over the area.  To every season there is a purpose.  A thoughtful Champion has decided not to enter her cherry tomato in the First Ripe Tomato In Champion contest because the plant is two years old.  That is another nice example of taking the High Road.

        The Skyline Auxiliary Ladies will be serving up some ice cream on cobbler and other good things at the Home Coming Bluegrass Festival down at the Wagon Wheel Bluegrass Park on the first and second of June.  The weather should be dried up by then and a good crowd will be expected.  Some will be headed down to Brixie to hear Herbalist Bob Liebert talk about the local herbs.  Some would like to be two places at once.

        While some scholar proclaimed that Rudy Valley was not from Missouri, the nature of the song makes that a moot point. It goes:  “Keep a little song handy wherever you go/ and nothing can ever go wrong./  Keep a little song hand and sure as you know/ the sunshine will follow along./  Any little single jingle that sets the toes a tingle/ is welcome when you mingle in any single throng/ so keep a little song hand wherever you go and nothing will ever go wrong!”  Champion is certainly…….. ‘Wherever!’

        Another nice letter has arrived from Champion’s Tennessee friend, Darrell Haden.  His cousin, the famous basssist, Charlie Haden, has collabarated with guitarist Pat Metheny on an album called “Beyond the Missouri Sky.”  That certainly sounds like a candidate for The Missouri Song List.  Mr. Haden says, “Charlie’s grandfather, Homer Fielden Haden and my grandfather, Walter Dewitt Haden (1876-1961), grew up together in Smallett.  Their fathers were father and son while their mothers were sisters.”  It sounds like the son was also his own uncle-in-law.  Mr. Haden has agreed to share a copy of his poem “Strawberry Flats” soon and it is eagerly anticipated.

        Regarding the story of the Bad Sow of Spotted Hog that worked such mischief on Linda back in ’81, Steinbecks story, “St. Katie, The Virgin,” comes to mind.  S. T. Latent used to love to read this story in any gathering that had a preacher in it, much to his sister’s distress.  The story was about a mean farmer who wouldn’t pay his tithes.  The church sent over a young monk to collect the over due tithes and the farmer sicked this bad sow on him.  The sow was so mean that she would eat her own young if provoked.  Well, the long and the short of it is that the young monk wound up in a tree preaching to the sow down on the ground.  It sounds kind of like the old song about the Preacher and the Bear that says “Dear Lord, if you can’t help me, please don’t help that bear!”  Well, anyway the monk preached until he worked a miracle on the sow and thereafter she could spin on her tail like a top and was reported to be able to effect cures of minor ailments like hair-moles.  It is quite a good read.  George Washington’s 88th rule was “Be not Tedious in Discourse, make not many Digressions, nor repeat often the Same manner of Discourse.”  That is good advice.  Meanwhile, Linda’s almanac says that the 2nd and 3rd will be good days to plate late root crops.

        Gardening tips, reports of delightful affairs, old timer stories, travel logs, examples of taking the High Road or happy songs, noted absences, good advice and good poetry are all welcome at Champion Items, Rt. 2, Box 367, Norwood, MO 65717, or e-mail those things to Champion News.  Anyone wishing to hand deliver items to Champion’s seat of urban culture, Henson’s Store, can go down to the end of WW highway where the pavement is about to end and look for the hole that the sign used to set in, if it’s still there.  CHAMPION—LOOKING ON THE BRIGHT SIDE

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